Thermodynamic system



Oct. 30, 1934. c B, WATSON 1,979,128

THERMODYNAMIC SYSTEM Filed July 29, 1933 2 Sheets-Sheet l v I. i 1 l 1 ow ER LINE EXAUJ'T o: 41 L 2 Lu Q 2 o u uozawtflmtr r5 E n.

3110M: lio Ulla/la; 3.146230% OCL 30, 1934. c WATSON 1,979,128

THERMODYNAMIC SYSTEM Filed July 29, 1933 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR Chrlea T Vazixon/ A TTORNEY Patented Oct. 30, 1934 UNITED STATES PATEN'li OFFICE THERMODYNAMC SYSTEM Charles B. Watson, Omaha, Nebn, assignor of forty-five per cent to Nebr.

Fay G. Johnson, Omaha,

Application July 29, 1933, Serial No. 682,893

6 Claims.

This invention relates to a thermo-dynamic system and has for its primary object the provision of such a system employing volatile fluids capable of generating in a closed container high vapor, pressures at normal temperatures for operating prime movers.

One of the outstanding aims of the invention is the incorporation of means into the system whereby the spent exhaust vapor from the prime mover may be readily condensed for reuse in the cycle of operations.

. Stilla further object is the employment of two coordinated'systems coupled for mutual cooperation forming a heat transfer unit capable of efliciently operating as aprime mover for refrigerating purposes or the like. i

The above and other aims and objects will be apparent from the detailed description hereinafter appearing when taken in conjunction with the drawings appended hereto and forming a part hereof, and in which:

Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic showing of the system as a whole;

Fig. 2 is a broken view partly in section and partly in elevation showing one manner in which the various operative parts of the invention may be arranged in part in an insulated enclosure; Fig. 3 is a side elevation taken on line 33 of .F

Fig. 4 is a slightly modified view, but similar to Fig. 2, showing another arrangement of the operative elements and showing in somewhat more detail the various connections between the interrelated parts; 1 p Fig. 5 is a side elevation of the showing in Fig. 4. As is well known, various volatile liquids used as refrigerants have comparatively low boiling points; methyl chloride, for example, boils at '-10.6 F. Accordingly, at room temperatures the liquid boils, changing to a saturated vapor with theabsorption of a large amount of heat. The pressure generated bythis expanding vapor becomes available for conversion into work.

To illustrate the above in terms of B. t. u., it may be generally stated that the heat dissipated by a condenser of a refrigerating system is greatly in excess of the heat equivalent consumed by the electric motor of the system. This fact has been known to physicists and refrigeration engineers for many years but up to now, no one has made use of this fact to devise a machine whereby this excess heat energy is used to produce useful work in a mechanical cycle. In general in standard refrigeration machines of today, 1 h. p. will produce one ton of refrigeration in 24 hoursthat is,

1 h. p. which is the equivalent expenditure of 42.42 B. t. u. per minute will produce one ton of refrigeration which is the equivalent of a transfer of 200 B. t. u. per minute. Further, it is well known that a liquid refrigerant which has absorbed sufiicient heat to change its state to a saturated vapor can be condensed by the removal of the heat absorbed. In other words, I have shown that a refrigerant liquid absorbs energy from the atmosphere which becomes potential energy at definite temperatures and pressures and available for use as power in a prime mover, and it has also been shown that the ratio of energy transferred to dynamic energy supplied is approximately 5 to 1 (200 B. t. u. per minute-A242 B. t. 11. per minute) and that a saturated vapor can be condensed by the removal of its heat content.

In the preferred embodiment of my invention, I have shown a power cycle combined with a refrigeration cycle. Energy absorbed from the atmosphere supplies the latent heat required to boil the liquid of low boiling point. This energy is utilized in a prime mover to drive both the pump for the power cycle and the compressor of the refrigeration cycle. To produce the necessary difference of temperature between the boiler and the power condenser to do useful work, I have mounted the power condenser in heat exchange relationship with the evaporator of the refrigeration cycle in which later cycle I have provided a cooled condenser for dissipating the heat absorbed from the power cycle.

Referring now to Fig. 1 of the drawings there is shown a boiler for receiving a liquidof low U boiling point, preferably methyl chloride. As indicated, the boiler is provided with fins circumferentially arranged, the latter serving to conduct heat from the outside atmosphere to the boiler. The boiler is provided with a hollow central tubular wall portion within which is 10- cated in heat exchange relationship an engine, compressor and pump, these three elements being interconnected and preferably sealed with respect to the outside atmosphere. The engine constitutes the prime mover of the system and the saturated vapors from the boiler pass through the power line to the engine, whereby their energy is converted into work. The exhaust gases from the engine or prime mover pass as shown to a power condenser and then the condensed vapors are sent back to the boiler by means of the pump so that these condensed exhaust vapors are now ready to be reused in the system. The pump is operated by the prime passes to an evaporator which is in heat ex-,

change relationship in an insulated enclosure with the power condenser of the first system; The vapors from the evaporator'are then compressed by the compressor'passingthen to" the condenser for repetition of the cycle just described. The volatile liquids used in the. two

systems may be of differentboilihg pointsand' the condenser of the refrigerating system. maybe artificially cooled, so as to produce the diirerence" between temperatiu'es T1 and T2 at the boiler and condenserof the't'wo systems. It will be appreciated that if initially the temperature of the power condenser is suiiiciently. reduced the cyclic systemswill commence and continue to: operate;

Referringnow to-the structure'shown in Figs; 2 and 3', there is shown a practical exemplification of the: manner in: which the systems of Fig; 1' may: be incorporated inv a' refrigerating machine; The: referencecharacter 3 represents the boiler, C the compressor, and P the prime mover; Leading fromthe prime mover P is an exhaust manifold EP' which connects with an exhaust condenser EC separated by means ofv a wall=ofsinsulation Izfrom the primemover P. Ice trays T. are situated within the space affected by the reduced temperatures generated by means of the: evaporatingzcoils E'surrounding the enclosure housingthe'trays'T. The reference charactersEV an'dzPC'represent respectively the expan'si'on valve: and pressure controlvalve of the system. As shown, the boiler is provided with fins Fix The vapors. from the evaporator E are led; to the compressor C: and forced intoa condenser C."', preferably cooledby means of a liquid flowing; in the direction shown bythearrows.

' In the detailed showing of. Figs; 4* and 5 the character'B designates a closed cylindrical drum or' boiler. having heat conducting fins circumferent'i'ally. disposed and laterally distributed albngiit's horizontal axis for the transfer of heat from the surrounding atmosphere to the volatile liquid within'the boiler: This drum: is preferably formed with a tubular wall '3 which extends through'the drum'and eccentrically with respect to its horizontal axis to house'a cylindrical casing 4;1'0f a reciprocating. prime mover generally designated as l3. The prime mover comprises a free piston 5 which is adapted to reciprocate within a cylinder in the'casing 4 and carries a reversing valve 5'. Also mounted within the casing. 4-,. for" operation by the piston 5, is a compressor piston 6" and condensate pump 7, the latter comprising a' hollow plunger 8 carried by; the casing and working in acylindrical bore in 'the conn'ecting rod-9.. Thebore'in the plunger -8 serves asaport for conducting condensate to and from the pump 7 and through the check valvehousing 1 0--to the boiler B, as will belater explained.

The prime mover. is preferably connected with the boiler by means of a pipe line 11 and in this line is arranged a pressure control valve 12, which is in. turn .controlled by a thermostatic bulb 13 through line I3. The exhaust vapors from the wherein a condenser 18 is shown mounted in an air flue. 19 connected by pipe line 20 and expansion valve 21 with an evaporator 22. This air fluev 19is merely representative of a suitable meansfor conducting cold air over the condenser and is not intende'd to limit the invention to any particular type of cooling means therefor. The evaporator 22, as shown, comprises coils embedded" in the wall of a refrigerating box 23 of conventional form to receive ice trays 24. The lower portion of the box -23'isconstructed to receive the exhaust condenser 16' of the'power system previously described, where it is-incl'osed' in heat transfer relationship with the evaporator orrefrigerating coils 22'; The refrigerant' expanded within the evaporator- 22 is d rawnithrough pipe line 251-and'checl tvalves-26 by: the compressor 6 and returned throughcheck valves?? and pipe line 28 to the condenser 18 forrepeated operation;

Various changes and modifications-may be made in the details of the system without'departing from the spirit thereof, and 'it' is-my-intention'to cover all such and to-be limitedin this respect only as may be necessary-by the scopeof the-claims hereto appended.

I claim: 7

1. A thermo-dynamic device comprising a cyclic system having means for utilizing the potential energy of an expanding saturatedvapor to' operate 'a'prime'mover and asecondcyclic'sys tem having means arranged in heat exchange relationship with the first-system for condensing the spent vapors into a fluid, said second cyclic system including a condenser having means to cool the same below the" operating temperature of said first cyclic system. c 2'. A thermo-dynamic device-comprising a cyclic system having means fbr utilizing the potential energy of an expanding saturated vapor to oper-. ate a prime mover and asecond cyclic system including'a compressor operatively connected to theprime mover of the first system and acoudenser havingmeans to cool the same below the operating temperature of said first cyclic system. 3'. A thermo-dynamic device comprising a'circuit including a boiler for holding a quantity of liquid of low boiling point-,means; for conducting neatto the liquid from the surrounding atmosphere to convert it into an expanding saturated vapor, a power unit comprising a'prime mover driven pump mounted in heat exchange relationship to said boiler, means connecting the boiler to the prime mover including a pressure controlled valve, an exhaust condenser for the prime mover, means connecting the condenser through the pump to the boiler, means for cooling said exhaust condenser comprising a refrigerating circuit arranged. in heat exchange relationship with said exhaust condenser and including a compressor operatively connected to said prime mover and a condenser having means to cool the'same below the operating temperature of said boiler, and thermal means in heat exchange relationship with the means for cooling said exhaust condenser and'operatively connected to said pressure controlled valve..

4. A thermo-dynamic device comprising a cir-- cuit including a boiler for holding a quantity of liquid of low boiling point, means for conducting: heat to the liquid from the surrounding atmosphere to convert it into an expanding saturated vapor, a power unit comprising a prime mover driven compressor and pump, means connecting the boiler to the prime mover, an exhaust condenser for the prime mover, means for returning condensate from the exhaust condenser through the pump to the boiler, means for cooling the exhaust condenser comprising an evaporator in heat exchange relationship therewith, a second condenser having means to cool the same below the operating temperature of said boiler, and means for circulating a low boiling refrigerant through the compressor, second condenser and evaporator.

5. A refrigerating apparatus comprising a compressor, condenser and evaporator cperatively connected together for the circulation of a refrigerant of low boiling point, means for driving the compressor including a boiler, prime mover and exhaust condenser arranged to function in a closed circuit, said exhaust condenser and evaporator being enclosed in heat exchange relationship in an insulated container, the latter adapted to receive ice holding trays, and said refrigerating apparatus condenser having means to cool the same below the operating temperature of said boiler.

6. A thermo-dynamic device comprising a. cyclic system having means for utilizing the potential energy of an expanding saturated vapor to operate a prime mover and a second cyclic system including a condenser having means to cool the same below the operating temperature of the first cyclic system, a compressor operatively connected to the prime mover, and an evaporator, said evaporator being arranged in heat exchange relationship with the first system for condensing the spent vapors from the prime mover.

CHARLES B. WATSON. 

